{"id":3014,"date":"2026-06-26T13:09:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T13:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014"},"modified":"2026-06-26T13:09:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T13:09:11","slug":"hundreds-of-rabbis-demand-mamdani-apology-for-calling-pro-israel-aipac-monsters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds of rabbis demand Mamdani apology for calling pro-Israel AIPAC ‘monsters’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

More than 700 rabbis from across the US have signed an open letter demanding Mayor Zohran Mamdani apologize for calling the American Israel Public Affairs Committee \u201cmonsters\u201d who move \u201cmillions in dark money\u201d to preserve their power.<\/p>\n

Read more Hoarder parents accused of murder, \u2018terrible neglect\u2019 of obese son, 7, who died weighing 255 pounds<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cUsing the language of \u2018monsters\u2019 against political opponents is an act of dehumanization, and when the targets of that dehumanization are overwhelmingly associated with the Jewish community the consequences become especially dangerous,\u201d read the letter organized by the pro-Zionism group The Jewish Majority.<\/p>\n

The signatories include Rabbi David Ingber, founder of the Romemu congregation and senior director of Jewish life at 92NY; Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on Manhattan\u2019s Upper West Side; Rabbi Neil Zuckerman of the Park Avenue Synagogue on the Upper East Side and Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of neighboring Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Mayor Mamdani speaks, he is not speaking only for himself. He serves as a model for a growing political movement whose rhetoric and priorities are increasingly being emulated nationwide,\u201d the rabbis continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen public figures treat \u2018Zionists\u2019 as a uniquely suspect category of people, they are speaking about the overwhelming majority of the Jewish community. Demonizing Zionists is not perceived by most Jews as criticism of a foreign government; it is experienced as an attack on a core component of Jewish identity and peoplehood.\u201d<\/p>\n

The letter cited a rise in antisemitic attacks, including last year\u2019s murder of two employees of Israel\u2019s embassy in Washington and plots of violence against an AIPAC office and AIPAC-supported politicians, as evidence of increasing danger facing the Jewish community.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy casting pro-Israel civic participation as monstrous, conspiratorial and anti-democratic, Mr. Mamdani has put a target on the backs of American Jews and their allies,\u201d the rabbis said before calling on Hizzoner to say he\u2019s sorry, \u201cretract his remarks and affirm clearly that Jews and pro-Israel Americans are full participants in our democracy. <\/p>\n

\u201cCriticizing Israeli policy is not antisemitic. Treating millions of Zionist Jews as morally suspect, politically illegitimate or less deserving of equal participation in public life is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Obsession over the DC Reflecting Pool is a sad symbol of our times<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe campaign is over, the votes are counted, and now the mayor needs to lower the temperature before someone gets hurt,\u201d The Jewish Majority executive director Jonathan Schulman told The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow is the time of monsters,\u201d the mayor said during a 30-minute tirade at a campaign rally last week. \u201cThese monsters take many forms today. In those who fund \u2026 bad-faith attacks \u2026 those who would rather spend far more on political contributions than they would ever be made to pay in taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIn AIPAC, for whom the only thing more frightening than democracy being allowed to run its course is an end to genocide and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu\u2019s wars.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mayor, in an attempt to defend his comments, later said that \u201cI was quoting [Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio] Gramsci, who said: \u2018The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cI used the term to describe all those who are preventing the birth of a new world,\u201d Mamdani added. \u201cNot solely AIPAC, but frankly, super PACs at large who are spending millions of dollars in deceptive and misleading ads that are blanketing airwave.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 34-year-old mayor supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against the Jewish state, has repeatedly accused Israel\u2019s military of \u201cgenocidal war\u201d in Gaza and even vowed last year to arrest Netanyahu for alleged war crimes if he ever sets foot in the five boroughs.<\/p>\n

Read more Neighbors dig through Venezuela rubble to search for loved ones after earthquakes kill at least 235<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than 700 rabbis from across the U.S. signed an open letter demanding Mayor Zohran Mamdani apologize for calling the American Israel Public Affairs Committee “monsters” who move “millions in dark money” to preserve their power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nHundreds of rabbis demand Mamdani apology for calling pro-Israel AIPAC 'monsters' - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hundreds of rabbis demand Mamdani apology for calling pro-Israel AIPAC 'monsters' - Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"More than 700 rabbis from across the U.S. signed an open letter demanding Mayor Zohran Mamdani apologize for calling the American Israel Public Affairs Committee "monsters" who move "millions in dark money" to preserve their power.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-26T13:09:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3014#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3014\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"headline\":\"Hundreds of rabbis demand Mamdani apology for calling pro-Israel AIPAC ‘monsters’\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-26T13:09:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3014\"},\"wordCount\":643,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3014#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/019f5734f2bbaad354554a8da23af778.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Metro\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3014#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3014\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3014\",\"name\":\"Hundreds of rabbis demand Mamdani apology for calling pro-Israel AIPAC 'monsters' - Metro Transit Review\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3014#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3014#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/019f5734f2bbaad354554a8da23af778.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-26T13:09:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3014#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3014\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3014#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/019f5734f2bbaad354554a8da23af778.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/019f5734f2bbaad354554a8da23af778.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":799},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3014#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Hundreds of rabbis demand Mamdani apology for calling pro-Israel AIPAC ‘monsters’\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Metro Transit Review\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Hundreds of rabbis demand Mamdani apology for calling pro-Israel AIPAC 'monsters' - Metro Transit Review","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Hundreds of rabbis demand Mamdani apology for calling pro-Israel AIPAC 'monsters' - Metro Transit Review","og_description":"More than 700 rabbis from across the U.S. signed an open letter demanding Mayor Zohran Mamdani apologize for calling the American Israel Public Affairs Committee \"monsters\" who move \"millions in dark money\" to preserve their power.","og_url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014","og_site_name":"Metro Transit Review","article_published_time":"2026-06-26T13:09:11+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"headline":"Hundreds of rabbis demand Mamdani apology for calling pro-Israel AIPAC ‘monsters’","datePublished":"2026-06-26T13:09:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014"},"wordCount":643,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/019f5734f2bbaad354554a8da23af778.webp","articleSection":["Metro"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014","name":"Hundreds of rabbis demand Mamdani apology for calling pro-Israel AIPAC 'monsters' - Metro Transit Review","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/019f5734f2bbaad354554a8da23af778.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-26T13:09:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/019f5734f2bbaad354554a8da23af778.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/019f5734f2bbaad354554a8da23af778.webp","width":1200,"height":799},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3014#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Hundreds of rabbis demand Mamdani apology for calling pro-Israel AIPAC ‘monsters’"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/","name":"Metro Transit Review","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/metrotransitreview.com"],"url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}